


your fingers (soft and light)

by honey_eyed



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Princess Leia (Comics)
Genre: Backrubs, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Hair Braiding, Light Angst, Not Beta Read, Slice of Life, Sunburn, followed by, non-sexual nudity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 18:15:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19256536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honey_eyed/pseuds/honey_eyed
Summary: "You'd think a princess of Alderaan would be less likely to get sunburnt," Evaan mutters under her breath, mostly to herself. She's rubbed ridiculous amounts of aloe into Leia's back at least once a week all summer, and it's starting to get a little old.The moment she says it, though, she wishes she hadn't.





	your fingers (soft and light)

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Andante, Andante by ABBA.

"You'd think a princess of Alderaan would be less likely to get sunburnt," Evaan mutters under her breath, mostly to herself. She's rubbed ridiculous amounts of aloe into Leia's back at least once a week all summer, and it's starting to get a little old.

The moment she says it, though, she wishes she hadn't. Courtesy of bodily contact, Evaan can  _feel_ the moment Leia processes her words, because every muscle in her back tenses and her shoulders draw up to her ears.

Bantha shit.

"Leia—" she starts, but Leia is already pulling away, her posture rigid and regal even though she's only wearing a bathing suit.

"Thank you for your help, Evaan," Leia says. Her voice could freeze over a sun. "I won't trouble you with this in the future. Now, it looks like a storm is coming, and I don't wish to be caught in it."

Evaan watches helplessly as Leia stands, gathers her things, and walks back toward the beach house.

The sky _is_ the sickly gray that only proceeds a thunderstorm of immense proportions. It's also, probably, the least of Evaan's worries right now.

 

* * *

 

Taking the summer off had been Evaan's idea in the first place. Leia was running herself into the ground trying to arrange everything in the new Senate, and even Evaan had to admit that ensuring her people had places to live and food to eat, not to mention upholding diplomatic relations with many of the planet's old allies now that the war was over, was exhausting.

And it's not like they're on _vacation_ , not really. They didn't run away to Lah'mu, or another difficult-to-reach planet. Instead, she talked Leia into taking up residence in one of the newly built summer homes that overlook New Alderaan's breathtaking eastern sea. That way, she reasoned, they would still be easily accessible for all matters political. It's important, after all, that the princess and senator of the planet be available in case of emergencies.

Only, the sun seems hell bent on burning Leia's skin to a crisp, and it's caused a bit of...  _tension._

Evaan didn't grow up in the mountainous country surrounding Aldera. Instead, she spent most of her childhood close to the equator, in a little village on the edge of one of the region's giant lakes; as a result, she's more likely to tan than burn. She turned a nice, even brown within the first week and hadn't had a problem with the sun since.

Leia, on the other hand, slathers herself almost daily in a skin protectant meant for visitors to desert planets, and she still ends up brighter than a pilot's jumpsuit.

And now, Evaan thinks as she starts the journey toward the house, she's thoroughly put her foot in it.

_Everyone_ knows the royal family is well suited to Alderaan's climate, no matter what region they found themselves in. Or they  _knew_ that, back when Alderaan was still around. It was one of those rumors that was accepted as fact by most people she knew, and it hadn't been helped by the flawless appearance of the Queen and her consort every time they were in the local HoloNews.

Sometimes, she acknowledges, stepping into the sonic designed to get rid of all the sand on a person before they enter the house, she forgets that she isn't talking to the Princess of Alderaan. Sometimes, she forgets that the Princess is simply Leia now.

Leia isn't in the living area or the kitchen on the first floor, not that Evaan expected her to be. She takes her time kicking off her sandals and putting away the items they'd brought with them to the beach. She stalls at the bottom of the stairs, biting her lip.

It had been so hard on Leia, after she first learned the truth of her parentage. Knowing you're adopted is one thing; realizing your biological father was one of the tyrants that wrecked the galaxy so thoroughly that, years later, you're still trying to put it back together again, well, that's quite another. Leia trusted Evaan with that deeply personal wound and, in a moment of petty frustration, Evaan repaid that trust with a careless comment about heritage.

She hesitates for another moment, then takes a deep breath and starts to climb.

 

* * *

 

Leia is curled up in bed, dressed in a soft nightgown with her hair loose around her shoulders, when Evaan knocks quietly on the door frame. She doesn't look up from the datapad in her lap.

Evaan steps into the room, closing the door behind her as gently as possible. Delaying the inevitable, she goes to the closet and pulls on a dry change of clothes. After a moment of cowardly indecision, she closes the closet door, approaches the bed, and sits at the end, legs tucked up underneath her.

There's only the general hum of the house around them and the sound of Evaan's breath as Leia continues to work on her datapad. Then: the light pitter-patter of rain dancing on the roof.

"I'm sorry," Evaan says, raising her voice slightly to be heard above the rain. It's gearing right up to be a true storm, with hardly any time spent at the "comfortable afternoon showers" stage.

Leia sighs and sets the datapad aside. She looks up at Evaan. There are lines under her eyes and a heavy weight seems to be dragging on her shoulders. She's been doing to much, even on vacation, but Evaan has never been good at getting her to take a break. As far as she can tell,  _no one's_ ever been good at it, except maybe Luke.

"You're forgiven," Leia says. It's one of the things Evaan loves and hates about her in equal parts: Leia never says  _it's_   _okay_ when it isn't. She simply forgives.

Evaan looks down at her hands which, entirely without her permission, have fisted themselves in the bedding. She makes her fingers unclench and stretches them out instead.

Leia reaches out and Evaan lets herself be drawn in. The warmth of her touch feels more like absolution than any words could.

She settles beside Leia, careful not to hit any irritated skin. Still, Leia's radiating enough heat to warm most of Echo Base. It can't be comfortable.

"Do you need more aloe for your back?" Evaan asks, aware of how paltry of a peace offering that is. Still, Leia nods. Evaan takes one of Leia's hands in her own and brings it to her mouth for a gentle kiss, and then standing.

It's a quick trip down to the kitchen to retrieve the aloe, and then a stop in the hall linen closet to grab a small towel. When she returns, Leia is down to just her underwear. Evaan just barely manages not to drop the container in her surprise.

Leia raises an eyebrow in a challenge that Evaan decidedly ignores. Leia's hair is still loose, so Evaan sets the container aside for now and begins to braid.

This is one of her favorite things, to sit with Leia before her and card her fingers through the soft strands of Leia's hair. It's not as long as it once was, cut to suit the demands of practicality rather than elaborate custom, but there's still enough to style when the need arises. Today, she simply pulls the hair into a single Naboo braid that she winds around itself and pins, so as to keep it off the skin of her neck and back. She can feel the tension leaving Leia's body the longer she works with it, and so she draws the process out as much as possible.

Thunder cracks outside as she reaches for the aloe. The rain is still driving heavily against the windows but she pays it no mind.

Evaan makes herself be as gentle as possible as she spreads the aloe across Leia's shoulders and down her back. The gel is cold to the touch and, she knows from experience, makes the burn feel worse than it is, at least initially. Leia doesn't complain, but her head droops when Evaan begins her second pass with the gel.

The rain hasn't stopped when Evaan sets the container aside and reaches for the towel, which she uses to wipe her hands. They still feel sticky, but she doesn't want to leave the bed at all, even for the moment it will take to wash them. Leia is quiet and compliant as Evaan guides her into laying down. There'll be aloe on the sheets, but that's easily dealt with. 

"Sleep," Evaan whispers, pressing a kiss to a dry patch of skin. She curls up behind Leia, tucked as close as she can get without hurting her. "The reports will be there when you wake. Sleep now."

Leia nods into the pillow without even putting up a fight. It says more about her state of exhaustion than anything else could.

The storm rages on around them. They sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I cherish every comment and kudos.
> 
> love,  
> honey


End file.
